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By Jeff Neuenschwander / May 6th, 2014
Dakko Dakko, the developer behind one of the most intriguing indie games coming to the Wii U, has announced that Scram Kitty and his Buddy on Rails will be releasing on the North American and European eShop next week on May 15th. No price has been announced in North America as of yet. European prices will be €9.99 on the main continent and £8.99 in the UK.
Scram Kitty and his Buddy on Rails is a 2D platformer that features 360 degree platforming along with shooting action. It was designed from the ground-up for the Wii U. You can find out more by checking out our impressions of the game from E3 2013. For now, check out the latest images below, as well as the press release for Europe.
Dakko Dakko’s Wii U Debut Gets Its Claws Into Players Next Week!
Cardiff, Wales – May 6th, 2014 – Independent games developer Dakko Dakko today announced that Scram Kitty and his Buddy on Rails will launch on the Nintendo eShop in Europe on May 15th. Developed by the studio behind The 2D Adventures of Rotating Octopus Character and Floating Cloud God Saves the Pilgrims, Scram Kitty and his Buddy on Rails is a frenetic, fast-paced platform shooting game designed from the ground-up for Wii U™.
Rhodri Broadbent, founder of Dakko Dakko, said “After a little bit of a wait while we crammed the game’s Space Station with even more fiendish stages and added a new skill-play mode, it’s great to be able to say that people can get our latest game very soon!”
Featuring a unique control system that allows for 360 degree platforming action and thrilling 2D shooting, Scram Kitty and his Buddy on Rails sees players glide along colourfully glowing rails, leaping over the space station’s ample hazards and blasting back endless hordes of enemy rodents. The titular Scram Kitty offers helpful tips and feedback in real-time via the TV screen as the player battles on the Wii U™ GamePad.
For the truly awesome and dedicated, Scram Kitty and his Buddy on Rails features an addictive arcade-style ‘ Challenge Mode’ wherein players race the clock to free as many cats as possible and make it out of the space station in one piece. Players can share their challenge mode score via the game’s Miiverse™ community.
Scram Kitty and his Buddy on Rails will be available to download exclusively from the Nintendo eShop, priced £8.99 / €9.99.
About Dakko Dakko
Dakko Dakko is a nimble, impassioned and talented game development studio formed in 2010 by programmer Rhodri Broadbent. Having worked on projects for Lionhead Studios (Fable) and Q-Games (PixelJunk series, Starfox Command) Rhod started the company with a philosophy to combine tight, fun and rich gameplay with precise controls and beautiful artwork, all designed down to the microsecond to amuse, entertain and challenge players. Dakko Dakko’s first two games – The 2D Adventures of Rotating Octopus Character and Floating Cloud God Saves The Pilgrims – have met with critical acclaim and success on the PlayStation Network. Wii U exclusive Scram Kitty and his Buddy on Rails will launch on May 15th 2014.
Wii U is a trademark of Nintendo. © 2012 Nintendo.
Dakko DakkoNintendo eShopScram Kitty and his Buddy on Rails


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And we have proof. Swimming pools are full of piss but rarely vinegar.
Olympic swimmers do it. Babies do it. Elderly great-grandmothers do it. A 2012 U.S. study verified that nearly one-fifth of Americans do it and an American Chemical Society study performed at the University of Alberta confirms that everybody pees in the pool.
It’s just the amount that might surprise you.
At the same time, our beach club owners are bumping heads over whether to install an outhouse. It is not a trivial question. There is a real concern among beachgoers about people peeing in the ocean but our beach is a nice sandy lot with neither electricity nor sewer. Planning for accessibility, the engineering and construction costs, a sewer hookup, and running water and electricity are all significant issues.
Does it really matter if you pee in the ocean? Or your pool?
The environmental toxicology experts at the University of Alberta found a way to measure the concentration of urine in pools thanks to our lurve of sugary snacks, particularly sugary snacks at the seashore.
Calling Ace K. Snackbuster!
Acesulfame potassium, better known as “Ace-K,” is an artificial sweetener now commonly found in the much of what we eat and drink.
Sales of diet sodas have dropped by nearly 20% since reaching a peak of $8.5 billion in 2009 while energy drinks grew from $12.5 billion in 2015 to an expected $21.5 billion this year.
Whether your soda pop has sucralose or aspartame the chances are good it also has ace-K which is around 200 times sweeter than sugar. Other foods that contain acesulfame potassium include fruit juices, non-carbonated beverages, and alcoholic beverages, baked goods, cereals, chewing gum, condiments, dairy products, desserts, ice cream, jam, jelly and marmalade, marinades, salad dressings and sauces, tabletop sweeteners, toothpaste and mouthwash, and even yogurt and other milk products.
Acesulfame K isn’t broken down or stored in the body. Instead, it’s absorbed into your system and then passed unchanged in your urine.
The researchers determined how much of the water was urine simply by measuring the concentration of Ace-K in the water.
So how much urine is in your pool? Or my beach?
All of the pools and hot tubs the team tested contained urine. The study found that typical backyard pools contain about 20 gallons each.
Your kitchen trash can holds about 7 gallons. Imagine if one of your (very productive) friends filled it three times and dumped it in the pool!
We all know that urine is sterile but the other compounds we pass, including urea, ammonia, and creatinine, become dangerous when mixed with the pool chemicals. They can lead to eye and respiratory irritation and even asthma in those exposed long enough.
It’s worse in the ocean where they can turn the water green.

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"Over a three-month period, up to 2.4 million credit and debit cards used at 79 Schnucks stores may have been compromised..."
Two civiil lawsuits have been filed against the company. Now we know more than we did in March. Still, not good.
"Over a three-month period, up to 2.4 million credit and debit cards used at 79 Schnucks stores may have been compromised..."
Two civiil lawsuits have been filed against the company. Now we know more than we did in March. Still, not good.
What words do organizations use frequently in breach notification letters and announcements? To better understand this, I used the Wordle tool to create word clouds from several actual, high-profile breach notifications during the past six months. The tool gives more prominence to words that appear more frequently.
Some breach notices were blog posts, some were press releases, some were web pages in a small website specifically about that data breach, and others were letters shared with state agencies, as required by law in some states. I wanted to see what words were frequently used and any variations.
A word cloud from the February 2013 breach notice by Twitter:
A word cloud from the February 2013 breach notice by GE Capital Retail Bank (Adobe PDF):
A word cloud from the February 2013 breach notice by Walgreens drug stores (Adobe PDF):
A word cloud from the January 2013 breach announcement by the Experian credit reporting agency (Adobe PDF):
A word cloud from the January 2013 breach announcement by Zaxby's restaurants:
A word cloud from the November 2012 breach notice by Pinnacle Foods:
A word cloud from the November 2012 breach notice by Nationwide Insurance:
Clearly, there is a lot of variety. Some words (e.g., information, report, credit, security) appear frequently within and across breach notices. Some breach notices feature the company name prominently while others don't. While the words may vary, basic information about the breach is presented pretty consistently: organization name, relevant dates, the types of individuals affected (e.g., members, employees, students), and what that organization calls the notice.
A lot of this is mandated by state breach notification laws. Depending upon local laws, the notification may be sent to affected individuals, a public notice, or both.
The content that varies seems to be the amount of detail disclosed about he cause of the data breach, and the resources for breach victims. The resources vary based on the type of data stolen. For example, when consumers' Social Security numbers have been stolen. the notices frequently mention the major credit reporting agencies. This is what I have seen frequently in both breach notices I have received and others I have read.
An exception seems to be the GE notice which only mentions a single credit reporting agency. Sometimes, the resources to help breach victims are in a separate document or website page. So, this will affect the words used in the actual breach notice.
Sadly, the credit reporting agencies experience data breaches, too. Since they specialize in information about individuals, you might think that they don't experience data breaches, but they do. The FTC has studied the accuracy of credit reports, and many people feel that credit reporting agencies should do a lot more to fix the errors in their consumer credit reports.
What do you think of data breach notices? How many breach notices have you received?
In case you were away for the long weekend and missed it, on Friday Facebook.com announced via its website that it had been hacked:
"Last month, Facebook Security discovered that our systems had been targeted in a sophisticated attack. This attack occurred when a handful of employees visited a mobile developer website that was compromised. The compromised website hosted an exploit which then allowed malware to be installed on these employee laptops. The laptops were fully-patched and running up-to-date anti-virus software. As soon as we discovered the presence of the malware, we remediated all infected machines, informed law enforcement, and began a significant investigation that continues... We have found no evidence that Facebook user data was compromised."
This means that the old saying still applies: a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. In this case, your sensitive personal information on a social networking site is only as secure as the weakest (mobile or website) app developer.
On Monday, the State of Georgia Insurance Commissioner (GADOI) confirmed a data breach at Nationwide Insurance. Hackers gained unauthorized access to private and sensitive information at the company's online computers.
The announcement contained few details. It did not list the specific personal data elements stolen or exposed, nor explain how the breach happened and what the insurance company is doing so this breach won't happen again.
About 28,467 Georgia residents and policyholders were affected. The insurance company has agreed to:
Some news sources reported that the F.B.I. is investigating the breach. Another news source reported that names, birth dates, drivers license numbers, and marital statuses were stolen. Given the personal data elements stolen, the hackers can do damage.
This is not the first data breach at Nationwide. A check of the breach database at Privacy Rights Clearinghouse found that the insurance company had two small breaches (Florida and New York) during 2007 where laptops containing sensitive personal information were stolen from employee's cars. In 2006, Nationwide was one of severalinsurers affected by a lockbox theft at Concentra Preferred Systems in Ohio.
The insurance company has not disclosed the number of affected consumers in other states. More details will emerge and the number of breach victims will most likely increase since several states require notice of data breaches.
Last week, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced a data breach on October 31 where an employee's laptop computer was stolen from a locked car. The laptop contained the sensitive personal information for about 10,000 employees and contractors.
NASA first notified all of its employees in an e-mail message. The agency has contracted with ID Experts to provide free credit monitoring and fraud resolution services for breach victims. In the e-mail message, the agency warned that it make take up to sixty (60) days to notify all affected persons.
The stolen laptop was password protected, but did not have full disk encryption. As a result of the data breach, the agency has mandated that any laptops removed the its offices contain full disk encryption:
"The Administrator and the Chief Information Officer (CIO) have directed that, effective immediately, no NASA-issued laptops containing sensitive information can be removed from a NASA facility unless whole disk encryption software is enabled or the sensitive files are individually encrypted. This applies to laptops containing PII, International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and Export Administration Regulations (EAR) data, procurement and human resources information, and other sensitive but unclassified (SBU) data."
The agency expects to encrypt all laptops by by December 21, 2012 after which any laptops removed from its offices will have all data encrypted, whether or not that laptop contains sensitive information.
Recently, Mintz Levin updated its listing of states data breach notification laws. The listing, often referred to as the "Mintz Matrix" (Adobe PDF), summarizes the data breach notification laws for 46 states, plus the District of Colombia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico.
Within the past few months, the states of Texas and Connecticut have amended their breach notification laws. Alabama, Kentucky, New Mexico and South Dakota do not have any laws about data breach notifications.
Breach notification laws typically describe the kinds of data elements (e.g., Social Security number) that comprise consumers' sensitive personal information, the format (e.g., paper, electronic) of information covered by the laws, the types of information that must be encrypted, the types of businesses and government entities covered by the state's law, and both the time period and methods by which notification must be provided to consumers affected by the data breach.
Mintz Levin is a law firm focusing upon general business, intellectual property, biotechnology, litigation, telecommunications, regulatory issues, and financial planning. Earlier this month, former Massachusetts Governor William F. Weld joined the firm.
The South Carolina data breach that affected 3.6 million consumers is more extensive than originally announced. On Wednesday October 31, state updated their breach announcement with 657,000 businesses also affected. The update also included 620,000 phone calls to Experian by consumers seeking breach information, and about 418,000 consumers have signed up for one year of free Experian ProtectMyID service.
The State also expanded the assistance it is providing both businesses and individuals affected by the breach. Starting today, Friday, South Carolina offers for free to businesses that have filed a state tax return since 1998 the CreditAlert services from Dun & Bradstreet Credibility Corporation. CreditAlert will notify business customers of changes to their business credit file, such as a business address change, or a company officer change. Business owners can visit www.dandb.com/sc/ or call CreditAlert customer service toll free at 1-800-279-9881.
The state is also offering to affected South Carolina businesses the Business Credit Advantage from Experian, which provides unlimited access to a company’s business credit report and score. Interested businesses can sign up for Business Credit Advantage at www.smartbusinessreports.com/SouthCarolina. Businesseshave until December 1, 2012 to sign up.
The state also announced expanded assistance for individuals. Free fraud resolution services are extended past one year, and individuals with children can sign up for the "Family Secure Plan" to protect the Social Security numbers and sensitive personal information of minors and children also exposed/stolen during the data breach. Consumers have until January 31, 2013 to sign up.
The fact that businesses were also found to have been impacted by the breach, suggests that the breach inivestigaton is ongoing: determining the entitites affected, the data elements stolen, and how the unauthorized access and theft was performed technically. As reported by The State:
"Like other S.C. taxpayers, state businesses will be able to get free credit monitoring. But companies will get longer coverage. Businesses that have filed state taxes since 1998 can sign up for lifetime record monitoring from Experian starting [Thursday] and Dun & Bradstreet starting Friday. Consumers can get one year of monitoring and insurance from Experian, paid for by the state."
Why the longer coverage for businesses? The threat to both from identity criminals does not magically end after one year. Of course, businesses have more money, on average, than individuals. I look forward to hearing more from the state about why they chose to give businesses longer coverage for free. It suggests that the state has not finished improving its data security methods and systems.
If you are new to the issue of identity theft and fraud, then the alert services and credit monitoring service will likely help you get started and learn how to protect your sensitive personal information. However, it won't stop all identity fraud, so the value is in the fraud resolution services.
Are you a South Carolina resident or business owner? We'd like to hear about your experiences with the ProtectMyID, CreditAlert, or Business Credit Advantage services.
With all of the news and focus on hurricane Sandy, you may have missed this news item. On Friday October 26, the South Carolina Department of Revenue (DOR) announced a data breach where a hacker accessed and stole information affecting 3.6 million consumers, or about 77% of the state's population. The breach victims include consumers who have filed a state tax return since 1998.
The data stolen included 3.6 million Social Security numbers, and 387,000 debit- and credit-card numbers. All except 16,000 credit card numbers were encrypted. None of the Social Security numbers were encrypted.
On October 10, the state's Division of Information Technology informed the DOR of a "potential cyber attack." With the recommendation of law enforcement, the DOR contracted with Mandiant, an information security company, to help with the breach investigation, secure the computer system, and install new equipment and software for stronger protections.
On October 16, breach investigators discovered two breaches during September and one during August. On October 20, weaknesses in the state's computer systems were closed. The state has arranged for one year of free credit monitoring and fraud resolution services with Experian ProtectMyID. Affected consumers should contact ProtectMyID online or via phone (1- 866-578-5422) to see if there personal information was stolen.
By Monday October 29, about 455,000 consumers had called Experian, and about 154,000 had signed up for the ProtectMyID service. However, there have been problems and criticism of the state's response to the data breach. The complaints by consumers trying to call Experian (to see if their information was stolen) included busy phone signals, recordings, no answer, and long waits on hold.
Callers who got through successfully to Experian received a code so they could sign up online for ProtectMyID. At a Monday October 29 press conference, South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley announced the code so breach victims could sign up online for the ProtectMyID service.
If you were affected by the South Carolina data breach, please share your opinions about the state's response or the ProtectMyID service.
Several news outlets have reported about a massive data breach at TD Bank, affecting about 260,000 persons from Maine to Florida. The affected consumers include 35,000 in Maine, 3,000 in Florida, 73,000 in Massachusetts, and 43,000 in New Hampshire. According to the CBS affiliate in Philadelphia, most breach victims -- about 150,000 -- are in states in the New England region of the USA.
The bank is notifying affected customers via letters. In a breach notice sent to the New Hampshire Attorney General (Adobe PDF), the bank said:
"We have determined that personal information of New Hampshire residents was included on two data backup tapes that we shipped to one of our locations in late March 2012. The tapes have been missing since then, and we have been unable to locate them..."
The sensitive personal information exposed/stolen includes full names, addresses, Social Security numbers, bank account numbers, birth dates, and driver's license numbers. The bank is offering breach victims with one year of free credit monitoring services via ITAC Sentinel Plus.
In a statement, Martha Coakley, the Massachusetts Attorney General, said:
"The loss of these tapes potentially puts the personal information of thousands of Massachusetts consumers at risk, and we remind consumers to take appropriate steps to protect themselves... We will be reviewing the circumstances of this breach and the steps that TD Bank is taking to address the loss.”
A close review of the bank seems appropriate, since banks are not supposed to lose things, since they are entrusted with valuable items. And, this is not the bank's first data breach:*
This breach sounds similar to what I experienced in 2007 with IBM, where computer data tapes were lost or stolen during shipment from its headquarters fo an off-site storage facility. That breach sounded like theft, as does the recent TD Bank breach. Vendors don't just accidentally lose computer tapes. Misplace them, perhaps. Lose, no.
Things I noticed in the TD Bank breach notice to its affected customers lacked:
*Note: breach history from Privacy Rights Clearinghouse.
Last week, officials at Northwest Florida State College (NWFSC) announced a data breach that affected more than 275,00 persons. The affected persons include about 76,500 current and former students, 200,000 Bright Futures scholars, and 3,200 employees.
The breach occurred between May 21 and September 24, 2012, and included the unauthorized access of one of the school's computer servers.The sensitive personal data exposed/stolen includes full names, addresses, birth dates, and Social Security numbers. The Bright Futures persons affected include students during the 2005-06 and 2006-07 academic years. The data exposed/stolen about Bright Futures students includes full names, birth dates, Social Security numbers, ethnicity and gender. NWFSC announced that no student academic files were compromised.
The data exposed/stolen about employees included full names, Social Security numbers, birth dates, banking direct-deposit account numbers, addresses, phone numbers, and college email addresses. A breach investigation is ongoing, where NWFSC has hired an unnamed technology consultant, and is working with local law enforcement. According to a press release:
"The college is coordinating its efforts with the Division of Florida Colleges in the Department of Education to formally notify all students impacted by the data breach."
Northwest Florida State College has contracted with an external consultant, to ensure the college’s data remains safe and secure. Further, the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office cybercrimes unit continues to investigate the matter with assistance from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
NWFSC advises affected persons:
"... individuals who notice improper use of their Social Security number and believe they may be the victim of identity theft should contact the Federal Trade Commission at www.ftc.gov/idtheft or at 1-877-ID-THEFT (438-4338). Affected persons may also call the local sheriff’s office and file a police report of identity theft, keeping a copy of the police report."
In an Oct. 8, 2012 memo to employees (Adobe PDF), NWFSC said:
"... one or more hackers accessed one folder on our main server. This folder had multiple files on it. No one file had a complete set of personal information regarding individuals. However, by working between files, the hacker(s) have been able to piece together enough information to be able to engage in the theft of identity of at least 50 employees..."
The memo to employees outlined three specific identity theft and fraud actions by the thieves:
"The first is to use PayDayMax, Inc. as a conduit for taking out a personal loan which is repaid by debiting your bank account. The second is the same process using Discount Advance Loans. The third is to apply for a Home Depot Credit Card in an employee’s name and then use that card..."
Given this active identity fraud, both students and employees should take the threat seriously, and take immediate actions to check their credit reports at the three major credit-reporting agencies; and place a Fraud Alert or Security Freeze if appropriate. Plus, NWFSC should offer breach victims free credit monitoring and resolution services for at least two years.
A new data breach law goes into effect in Connecticut on October 1. The Connecticut Attorney General office announced:
"Connecticut law generally requires anyone who conducts business in Connecticut and who – in the ordinary course of business – owns, licenses or maintains computerized data that includes personal information to disclose a security breach without unreasonable delay to state residents whose personal information is believed to have been compromised. Failure to provide such notice could be considered a violation of the Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act (CUTPA)."
The new law includes an email address for companies to report breaches directly to the Connecticut AG office. Previously, companies were required to notify only consumers affected by data breaches. Now, companies must notify both breach victims and the state.
A hacker group has announced the theft of 1 million Apple iPhone UDIDs, or Unique Device Identifcation numbers. The hacker group claimed that the data breach was to highlight the unannounced tracking of US citizens by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agency. The Next Web reported:
"During the second week of March 2012, a Dell Vostro notebook, used by Supervisor Special Agent Christopher K. Stangl from FBI Regional Cyber Action Team and New York FBI Office Evidence Response Team was breached using the AtomicReferenceArray vulnerability on Java, during the shell session some files were downloaded from his Desktop folder one of them with the name of ”NCFTA_iOS_devices_intel.csv” turned to be a list of 12,367,232 Apple iOS devices including Unique Device Identifiers (UDID), user names, name of device, type of device, Apple Push Notification Service tokens, zip codes, cellphone numbers, addresses, etc. the personal details fields referring to people..."
The AntiSec hacker group stole 12 million UDIDs, and has publicly released 1 million of them.
What is a UDID? If you read this blog, then you already know what UDIDs are. Every smart phone, tablet, and mobile device has one: a 40-digit number that uniquely identifies each device. If you switched devices recently, chances are your telecommunications provider (e.g., Sprint, AT&T, Verizon, etc.) probably required that you provide them with the UDID for your new device.
The UDID is a bonanza for companies, marketers, government agencies, and any entity interested in tracking consumers. When matched with your 10-digit phone number and iTunes account, the UDID is a powerful identification (and tracking) tool that allows the compilation of all data, usage, and information on a mobile device to a person: phone calls, email messages, photos, video, text messages, GPS position, phone book, web browser history, apps downloaded, music, movies, and more. That compilation is more extensive since many consumers now use multiple email addresses (e.g., work and personal) on a single mobile device. Parents, who gave their children mobile devices, also need to be aware of the tracking threat. Links between your device's UDID and your Apple iCloud account would enable even more extensive tracking at the document level.
The Huffington Post advises consumers who want to check if their UDID was stolen:
"First, use the website whatsmyudid.com to figure out how to access your UDID, which can easily be found by plugging Apple devices into iTunes. Next, copy and paste the ID into The Next Web's data checker, or use tech consultant Sean MacGuire's website to quickly scan through the hacked IDs."
This blog has reported privacy abuses where app developers and marketers allegedly collected consumers' UDID without notice and without consent, including this class-action suit against Apple and this class-action suit against Ringleader Digital and several other companies. The sad reality is that consumers' UDIDs could already be in a lot more entities' databases, since too many mobile device apps fail to provide privacy policies, and collect data without notice and without consent.
[Update 3:30 pm: one blogger analyzed the data released by the hackers, and concluded it isn't so bad since not much other personal data was stolen. I don't place much weight on this view, as there is no guarantee the hackers released everything stolen.]
[Update 10:00 am: the FBI denies that it has the data the hacker group claimed it has.]
The University's breach announcement did not list the specific types of sensitive personal information exposed/stolen:
"Files on the server contained confidential, personally identifiable information of approximately 34,000 individuals."
McClatchy news service reported that the sensitive personal information exposed/stolen included the names, addresses and Social Security numbers of staff, researchers, and student at the College of Education since 2005.
The university advised breach victims to check their credit reports at the three major credit reporting agencies (e.g., Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion), and to place a fraud alert on their credit reports. The university did not name the credit monitoring/resolution service it has retained to assist breach victims, nor if it will provide that service freely to breach victims.
Organizations usualyy provide a couple years of free credit monitoring services after data breaches like this. This is the sixth breach at the University of South Carolina. Prior breaches:
Given this poor history, the university's chief security officer and IT staff need to step up faculty/staff training and data security procedures at the school.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced last week a March 2012 data breach which affected about 8,000 persons. In a statement to the Washington Business Journal, tha EPA said that it had notified about 5,100 current employees and about 2,000 "other individuals." The EPA did not state whether contractors were involved.
The information lost or stolen included Social Security numbers, bank account routing numbers and home addresses. The EPA has offered one year of free credit-monitoring services to breach victims.
Several news sources reported that a computer virus, possibly delivered via an e-mail attachment caused the breach. The affected computers were reportedly hazardous-waste program servers frequently used by contractors.
It is unclear exactly why the agency took two four months to notify breach victims. The agency stated that it had performed a risk analysis about the breach, and like most other breach notices concluded that the exposed data had not yet been used fraudulently. In 2008, the EPA published its breach notification guidelines (Adobe PDF), which stated:
"... all notification for Category I PII incident should take place within (48) business hours of the completion of the risk evaluation and score determination. The time between discovery and reporting is one (1) hour. The time between reporting and risk evaluation should not exceed (48) hours... Each Category within its provided constraints should also consider legitimate time requirements of law enforcement and national security entities... the delay should not exacerbate risk or harm to the individual, Agency or related investigations..."
When it is your bank account information lost or stolen, early notification seems best so consumers can check for any fraudulent charges.
In testimony before the U.S. Senate this year, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) reported some troubling statistics about data security at federal agencies. There were 15,500 breaches during 2011, up 19.2% from 13,000 breaches during 2010.
A data breach at The Consumerist website has exposed the passwords of users who have submitted comments at the website. As a result of the breach, the website was taken down twice last week and the commenting feature was temporarily disabled. In an announcement, the website stated:
"Because of the nature of the investigation, we cannot – at this time – share further details of the specific changes. But we do want you to know of two actions we will be taking in the next few days that may affect your experience on the site:"
So, the breach investigation is ongoing. The website plans to reset all users' passwords. The website advises users to:
At its July 16 breach announcement, the website had hoped to restore the commenting feature in a couple days. At press time, a check of the website found that this feature was still disabled.
About 3,900 patients of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) are being notified of a data breach exposing their sensitive personal information. According to the Boston Globe newspaper, the patient records were stored on a physician's laptop which was stolen from an office on May 22. The hospital has already notified local law enforcement and began a breach investigation to determine the data exposed/stolen.
This is a second major breach at the hospital. In July 2011, a breach exposed the protected health information (PHI) of about 2,021 patients after a vendor failed to restore security controls on an Internet-connected computer during routine maintenance. That 2011 breach exposed patients' names, BIDMC medical record numbers, gender, date of birth and the date and name of radiology procedures. According to the 2011 breach announcement, the breached computer, infected with a computer virus, had transmitted stolen data to an unknown location.
A check of the hospital's website did not find an announcement yet about its 2012 breach. Hopefully, the data was encrypted on the laptop. Earlier this month, BIDMC was again rated by U.S. News & World Report as a leading hospital in the USA.
After its 2011 breach, BIDMC provided affected patients with one year of free identity protection services, and a list of state and federal resources.
[Update, Tuesday May 23, 1:30 pm: BIDMC released a press release later on Monday, explaining that it was in hte process of contacting affected patients. Local law enforcement had arrested a suspect, but the stolen laptop had not been recovered.]
On May 8, 2012, the State of Vermont amended its Security Breach Notice Act. was amended. The changes included:
Breach notice to affected Vermont residents must describe the incident, the date of the breach, the types of personal data lost/stolen, and methods to protect sensitive personal data from further breaches
The law firm of Mintz Levin has produced a report listing data breach notification laws in the United States as of June 1, 2012. The report includes details by state, and includes the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Typically, breach notification laws include a:
Four states do not have any breach notification laws:
If you live in one of these states, contact your elected officials and demand that your state pass a breach notification law. When companies or government agencies have consumers' sensitive personal information lost or stolen, you need to know to protect yourself.
The report is also available here (Adobe PDF, 469 k bytes).
There is a storm brewing at the University of Nebraska. After a member of the school's information technology department discovered the data breach on May 23, the university distributed a notice on May 25 that the Nebraska Student Information Service, NeSIS, which contains sensitive information about students, alumni, and applicants had been accessed by unauthorized users.
Individuals are concerned because the types of data exposed or stolen includes school records, addresses, bank account information, and Social Security numbers. The breached database contains records for more than 650,000 individuals. The breach affects students, alumni, and applicants of the university’s four campuses, the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture, plus university employees and parents of students who applied for financial aid.
In a letter to breach victims, Joshua Mauk, the university's Information Security Officer stated:
"On May 23, 2012, University personnel detected a security breach in the system indicating that an unauthorized individual had gained high-level access to the restricted database. This was a sophisticated and skilled attack on our system. Information in the system includes Social Security numbers, any bank account information associated with the NeSIS account, and personal and academic data. Our records indicate that you have a bank account that is associated with your NeSIS account, so we are writing to notify you of this breach and to advise you to monitor your bank accounts over the next several weeks and report any suspicious activity to your financial institution."
The letter also advises individuals to monitor their financial accounts and to consider placing a fraud alert or security freeze on their credit reports at the major credit reporting firms: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. The final number of records exposed/stolen has not been determined yet.
A breach investigation is underway by Nebraska University with local and federal law enforcement. The university has set up the http://nebraska.edu/security website to distribute updates about the breach and breach investigation.
Data security has been an issue in higher education since at least 2005: George Mason University (32,000 records). Recent, notable data breaches:
Breach history source: Privacy Rights Clearinghouse
Experian has notified the New Hampshire Department of Justice of data breach where unauthorized third parties may have obtained consumers credit reports. The company discovered the breach in February 2012 and began notifying affected consumers on May 17, 2012.
The breach notice did not disclose the number of consumers affected. The unauthorized access occurred between November 2010 and March 2012. An investigation into the breach was conducted including the analysis of computer logs. In its breach notice, Experian stated:
"... we do not believe that any third party obtained access to any specific data elements that are covered by the New Hampshire security breach law because those data elements (e.g., financial account numbers) were redacted or truncated on any credit report disclosure..."
New Hampshire is one of about 46 states that require entities (e.g., companies and state agencies) to notify both the state and affected residents in each state whose personal information archived by that entity was lost, stolen, or accessed by unauthorized persons.
In its breach notice to consumers, Experian stated:
"While any consumer report will contain public information like name and address, Experian masks or displays only partial social security numbers, birth dates, and account numbers, so they are not identifiable and cannot be abused."
This is troublesome because, a) the breach went undiscovered for a long time, 16 months; b) partial social security and bank account numbers, partially masked, and c) the extremely sensitive personal and financial information contained in consumer credit reports.
Experian placed fraud alerts on the files of breach victims, and, of course, is offering breach victims two years of fee credit monitoring services through its ProtectMyID service.
Experian is one of the three larges credit reporting agencies. The other two are Equifax and TransUnion. Experian also operates the Triple Alert and FreeCreditReport.com websites. In 2010, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission changed the disclosre rules for web sites offering free credit reports. Consumers should know that the official webiste for truly free credit reports.


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Chile continues to diversify its citrus exports markets with the recent opening of the Chinese market.
The first consignment, which included 23 tonnes of clementines and 74 tonnes of lemons, left Chile in the last week of Mayand will arrive in the port of Shanghai later this month.
“We are pleased with the recent opening of the Chinese market for Chilean citrus, including oranges, clementines, mandarins and lemons, which we believe will be an important step forward in diversifying our global citrus exports,” said Juan Enrique Ortúzar, president of the Chilean Citrus Committee.
China imported almost 328,000 tonnes of citrus from the Southern Hemisphere last year, of which oranges made up 51 per cent, mandarins 36 per cent, grapefruit 12 per cent and lemons 1 per cent.
According to Ortúzar, “China has proven to be an important importer of citrus from an array of origins, but we are confident that our exporters and growers will be able to arrive to this market with a high quality flavoursome and healthy citrus in line with the Chinese trade and consumer expectations”.
The Chilean export season, which runs from May to November, is being supported by a pilot marketing campaign highlighting health properties of Chilean citrus that will span social media, e-commerce platforms and leading retailers.
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Yep, you heard it right. Those clever boffins at French car giant PSA Peugeot Citroën have actually designed a car that can run on air.
This new hybrid vehicle should be available to buyers by 2016 and runs on a mixture of petrol and compressed air. This is a breakthrough in the world of hybrid vehicles, as heavy and rather expensive car batteries will no longer be needed.
So how does it work?
For the techies out there, it has a conventional petrol engine, which is linked to a hydraulic air motor and pump. When the car is moving, the air is pumped into a cylinder (like a balloon being inflated) using excess energy from the petrol engine and energy from the wheels and heat from the brakes. The air is then released to drive the hydraulic motor and this allows the car to run on air, petrol, or a combination of both.
Will it save on running costs?
According to its Scientists, the car’s petrol bills will become considerably cheaper than those of current cars. Petrol bills will be reduced by approximately 45% for the average motorist and for those about town, a staggering 80% because the car will be running on air four-fifths of the time. By the year 2020, these cars could be achieving an average of 117 miles per gallon, which is rather impressive.
How much do these cars cost?
Surprisingly, these cars won’t cost the earth. Buying a car fitted with Hybrid Air will be £1000 cheaper to buy than current hybrid vehicles. Plus, a family vehicle can also have this technology fitted, providing there is not a spare wheel in the boot – this is where the Hybrid Air motor has to be placed.
It is certainly clear that the hybrid race is on! We are seeing more and more hybrid vehicle inventions appearing in today’s market place, to produce cleaner, more fuel-efficient vehicles in an attempt to reduce damage to the environment and make vehicles more cost efficient to run.
Will this be the car that we’ve all been waiting for? Watch this space…


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LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Disc brake technology is now available on all Class 8, medium-duty and Business Class M2 Freightliner truck models, courtesy of Bendix/Spicer.
Company officials made the announcement at the Mid-America Truck Show in Louisville.
Air disc brakes offer several performance advantages including improved brake pedal feel and reduced brake fade, officials said.
“Freightliner Trucks was the pioneer in the industry by being the first to offer disc brake technology back in the seventies,” said Mark Lampert, Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Freightliner Trucks. “The brake technology has come a long way since then and it continues to be an important component offering for Freightliner Trucks.”
Brake fade, a phenomenon of decreasing performance from heat build-up in drum brakes, is minimized with the latest Bendix/Spicer disc brake technology, said Freightliner officials. Brake fade reductions are seen during prolonged brake applications with disc brakes. This is advantageous for braking on steep and long downhill slopes. The disc brakes also feature a simpler design, allowing for fast and easy servicing, said officials.
Freightliner Trucks vehicles must be equipped with proprietary front axles to receive the disc brake option. The brakes can be spec’d for 24.5-inch tires.
“Operators like the braking capabilities of disc brakes. Braking feels smooth and responsive with minimal hesitation,” said Lampert.”Looking towards the future, new brake standards are expected in the next several years,” Lampert added. “Disc brakes will continue to be one of the braking alternatives and we will continue offering our customers options that suit their needs and specific applications.”
The Bendix/Spicer air disc brakes are now available on the all Freightliner Trucks heavy-duty vehicles including the Coronado, Century Class S/T, Columbia, Classic XL, Classic, Argosy and Condor, as well as the entire Business Class M2 product line.
For more information visit www.freightlinertrucks.com
Truck News is Canada's leading trucking newspaper - news and information for trucking companies, owner/operators, truck drivers and logistics professionals working in the Canadian trucking industry. All posts by Truck News


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We’ve reached the penultimate day of Mobile World Congress 2022, an annual tech show dedicated to smartphones, tablets, wearables, and other similar gadgets.
The show takes place in Barcelona, and we’ve got reporters on the ground and also working from afar to bring you all the news, reviews, analyses and features – we’ve seen a busy few days so far but there’s more to come.
We saw lots of product launches on the first day of the event, February 28, and in fact there were a few big press conferences on the day before too. Now we’re nearing the end of the show, there’s a lot less happening, but that means there’s more time to take in the wider trends of the show.
As well as lots of consumer tech launches, MWC is big event for tech business and infrastructure, and our sister-site TechRadar Pro, which focuses on these areas, has their own MWC 2022 live blog here.
This live blog below is for all the big gadget news from the event, and before Day 3 really kicks off, we’ll share all the key highlights below, for people who might not have followed along with our earlier blogging.


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|By Business Wire||
|January 17, 2013 10:19 AM EST||
Digital River, Inc. (NASDAQ: DRIV), the revenue growth experts in global cloud commerce, announced it is hosting a complimentary webinar focused on e-commerce entitled, “Transforming your E-Commerce Business – a Prescription for Digital Disruption.” Presented by guest speaker Peter Sheldon, senior analyst from Forrester Research, Inc., the webinar will take place on Jan. 23, 2013, at 11:00 a.m. CST. The webinar, which is part of Digital River’s monthly E-Commerce Webinar Series, is now open for registration.
As business-to-consumer (B2C) and business-to-business (B2B) companies accelerate their transition to digital-ready product portfolios, they must get smarter about how they design, market, and sell to ensure they stay abreast and ahead of rapidly changing consumer expectations. During this webinar, Peter Sheldon – who specializes in e-commerce platforms, mobile commerce solutions, digital in-store technologies and digital commerce – will explore:
- How consumers from across the globe are rapidly adopting digital products and services;
- Why flexible ownership models lie at the heart of the consumer value proposition;
- Why digital disruption can lead to the cannibalization of legacy products; and
- How innovation is vital to a company’s success as disruptor.
“We are in the midst of an era of digital disruption — one that can bring you closer to your customers, reshape your e-commerce channels and online strategy and, if done right, help your organization work better, smarter and faster,” said James Gagliardi, Digital River’s vice president of product. “This webinar will provide senior e-commerce, e-marketing and product leaders added insights into the strategies they will need to challenge today’s business models.”
The webinar is open to the public and free of charge. All webinar attendees will receive a complimentary copy of a new research study, A Prescription for Digital Disruption. The study is based on global online surveys of senior-level marketers, advertisers and e-commerce professionals in the US, Canada, Germany and Japan, as well as consumers in the US, Canada, Germany and Japan who own a variety of endpoint devices. The research was commissioned by Digital River and conducted by Forrester Consulting.
Digital River’s free monthly E-Commerce Webinar Series is geared toward companies searching for new ways to go direct-to-buyer online in order to monetize their products and accelerate sales across multiple channels, devices and geographies. For more information about the series, email [email protected].
About Digital River, Inc.
Digital River, Inc., the revenue growth experts in global cloud commerce, builds and manages online businesses for software and game publishers, consumer electronics manufacturers, distributors, online retailers and affiliates. Its multi-channel commerce solution, which supports both direct and indirect sales, is designed to help companies of all sizes maximize online revenues as well as reduce the costs and risks of running a global commerce operation. The company’s comprehensive platform offers site development and hosting, order management, global payments, cloud-based billing, fraud management, export controls, tax management, physical and digital product fulfillment, multi-lingual customer service, advanced reporting and strategic marketing services.
Founded in 1994, Digital River is headquartered in Minneapolis with offices across the U.S., Asia, Europe and South America. For more details about Digital River, visit the corporate website, follow the company on Twitter or call +1 952-253-1234.
Digital River is a registered trademark of Digital River, Inc. All other company and product names are trademarks, registrations or copyrights of their respective owners.
Twitter Tags: #webinar, #ecommerce
Tweet This: Digital River to host #webinar w/guest #Forrester about reshaping ecommerce channels and online business models Jan 23, 11am CST.
It’s 2016: buildings are smart, connected and the IoT is fundamentally altering how control and operating systems work and speak to each other. Platforms across the enterprise are networked via inexpensive sensors to collect massive amounts of data for analytics, information management, and insights that can be used to continuously improve operations. In his session at @ThingsExpo, Brian Chemel, Co-Founder and CTO of Digital Lumens, will explore: The benefits sensor-networked systems bring to ...
Jul. 23, 2016 08:15 AM EDT Reads: 1,423
SYS-CON Events announced today the Enterprise IoT Bootcamp, being held November 1-2, 2016, in conjunction with 19th Cloud Expo | @ThingsExpo at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA. Combined with real-world scenarios and use cases, the Enterprise IoT Bootcamp is not just based on presentations but with hands-on demos and detailed walkthroughs. We will introduce you to a variety of real world use cases prototyped using Arduino, Raspberry Pi, BeagleBone, Spark, and Intel Edison. Y...
Jul. 23, 2016 08:00 AM EDT Reads: 1,216
Large scale deployments present unique planning challenges, system commissioning hurdles between IT and OT and demand careful system hand-off orchestration. In his session at @ThingsExpo, Jeff Smith, Senior Director and a founding member of Incenergy, will discuss some of the key tactics to ensure delivery success based on his experience of the last two years deploying Industrial IoT systems across four continents.
Jul. 23, 2016 08:00 AM EDT Reads: 1,381
Much of IT terminology is often misused and misapplied. Modernization and transformation are two such terms. They are often used interchangeably even though they mean different things and have very different connotations. Indeed, it is somewhat safe to assume that in IT any transformative effort is likely to also have a modernizing effect, and thus, we can see these as levels of improvement efforts. However, many businesses are being led to believe if they don’t transform now they risk becoming ...
Jul. 23, 2016 08:00 AM EDT Reads: 1,027
Identity is in everything and customers are looking to their providers to ensure the security of their identities, transactions and data. With the increased reliance on cloud-based services, service providers must build security and trust into their offerings, adding value to customers and improving the user experience. Making identity, security and privacy easy for customers provides a unique advantage over the competition.
Jul. 23, 2016 07:45 AM EDT Reads: 941
SYS-CON Events announced today that Venafi, the Immune System for the Internet™ and the leading provider of Next Generation Trust Protection, will exhibit at @DevOpsSummit at 19th International Cloud Expo, which will take place on November 1–3, 2016, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA. Venafi is the Immune System for the Internet™ that protects the foundation of all cybersecurity – cryptographic keys and digital certificates – so they can’t be misused by bad guys in attacks...
Jul. 23, 2016 07:45 AM EDT Reads: 1,038
Whether your IoT service is connecting cars, homes, appliances, wearable, cameras or other devices, one question hangs in the balance – how do you actually make money from this service? The ability to turn your IoT service into profit requires the ability to create a monetization strategy that is flexible, scalable and working for you in real-time. It must be a transparent, smoothly implemented strategy that all stakeholders – from customers to the board – will be able to understand and comprehe...
Jul. 23, 2016 07:30 AM EDT Reads: 2,006
"Tintri was started in 2008 with the express purpose of building a storage appliance that is ideal for virtualized environments. We support a lot of different hypervisor platforms from VMware to OpenStack to Hyper-V," explained Dan Florea, Director of Product Management at Tintri, in this SYS-CON.tv interview at 18th Cloud Expo, held June 7-9, 2016, at the Javits Center in New York City, NY.
Jul. 23, 2016 07:15 AM EDT Reads: 1,767
"There's a growing demand from users for things to be faster. When you think about all the transactions or interactions users will have with your product and everything that is between those transactions and interactions - what drives us at Catchpoint Systems is the idea to measure that and to analyze it," explained Leo Vasiliou, Director of Web Performance Engineering at Catchpoint Systems, in this SYS-CON.tv interview at 18th Cloud Expo, held June 7-9, 2016, at the Javits Center in New York Ci...
Jul. 23, 2016 07:15 AM EDT Reads: 1,830
For basic one-to-one voice or video calling solutions, WebRTC has proven to be a very powerful technology. Although WebRTC’s core functionality is to provide secure, real-time p2p media streaming, leveraging native platform features and server-side components brings up new communication capabilities for web and native mobile applications, allowing for advanced multi-user use cases such as video broadcasting, conferencing, and media recording.
Jul. 23, 2016 06:45 AM EDT Reads: 564
IoT generates lots of temporal data. But how do you unlock its value? You need to discover patterns that are repeatable in vast quantities of data, understand their meaning, and implement scalable monitoring across multiple data streams in order to monetize the discoveries and insights. Motif discovery and deep learning platforms are emerging to visualize sensor data, to search for patterns and to build application that can monitor real time streams efficiently. In his session at @ThingsExpo, ...
Jul. 23, 2016 06:30 AM EDT Reads: 626
There will be new vendors providing applications, middleware, and connected devices to support the thriving IoT ecosystem. This essentially means that electronic device manufacturers will also be in the software business. Many will be new to building embedded software or robust software. This creates an increased importance on software quality, particularly within the Industrial Internet of Things where business-critical applications are becoming dependent on products controlled by software. Qua...
Jul. 23, 2016 05:15 AM EDT Reads: 1,163
SYS-CON Events has announced today that Roger Strukhoff has been named conference chair of Cloud Expo and @ThingsExpo 2016 Silicon Valley. The 19th Cloud Expo and 6th @ThingsExpo will take place on November 1-3, 2016, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA. "The Internet of Things brings trillions of dollars of opportunity to developers and enterprise IT, no matter how you measure it," stated Roger Strukhoff. "More importantly, it leverages the power of devices and the Interne...
Jul. 23, 2016 04:30 AM EDT Reads: 1,929
Machine Learning helps make complex systems more efficient. By applying advanced Machine Learning techniques such as Cognitive Fingerprinting, wind project operators can utilize these tools to learn from collected data, detect regular patterns, and optimize their own operations. In his session at 18th Cloud Expo, Stuart Gillen, Director of Business Development at SparkCognition, discussed how research has demonstrated the value of Machine Learning in delivering next generation analytics to imp...
Jul. 23, 2016 04:00 AM EDT Reads: 2,336
In addition to all the benefits, IoT is also bringing new kind of customer experience challenges - cars that unlock themselves, thermostats turning houses into saunas and baby video monitors broadcasting over the internet. This list can only increase because while IoT services should be intuitive and simple to use, the delivery ecosystem is a myriad of potential problems as IoT explodes complexity. So finding a performance issue is like finding the proverbial needle in the haystack.
Jul. 23, 2016 02:45 AM EDT Reads: 2,058
The Internet of Things will challenge the status quo of how IT and development organizations operate. Or will it? Certainly the fog layer of IoT requires special insights about data ontology, security and transactional integrity. But the developmental challenges are the same: People, Process and Platform. In his session at @ThingsExpo, Craig Sproule, CEO of Metavine, demonstrated how to move beyond today's coding paradigm and shared the must-have mindsets for removing complexity from the develo...
Jul. 23, 2016 01:15 AM EDT Reads: 1,022
SYS-CON Events announced today that MangoApps will exhibit at the 19th International Cloud Expo, which will take place on November 1–3, 2016, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA. MangoApps provides modern company intranets and team collaboration software, allowing workers to stay connected and productive from anywhere in the world and from any device.
Jul. 23, 2016 01:00 AM EDT Reads: 1,160
The IETF draft standard for M2M certificates is a security solution specifically designed for the demanding needs of IoT/M2M applications. In his session at @ThingsExpo, Brian Romansky, VP of Strategic Technology at TrustPoint Innovation, explained how M2M certificates can efficiently enable confidentiality, integrity, and authenticity on highly constrained devices.
Jul. 23, 2016 12:45 AM EDT Reads: 723
SYS-CON Events announced today that LeaseWeb USA, a cloud Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) provider, will exhibit at the 19th International Cloud Expo, which will take place on November 1–3, 2016, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA. LeaseWeb is one of the world's largest hosting brands. The company helps customers define, develop and deploy IT infrastructure tailored to their exact business needs, by combining various kinds cloud solutions.
Jul. 22, 2016 11:15 PM EDT Reads: 981
Early adopters of IoT viewed it mainly as a different term for machine-to-machine connectivity or M2M. This is understandable since a prerequisite for any IoT solution is the ability to collect and aggregate device data, which is most often presented in a dashboard. The problem is that viewing data in a dashboard requires a human to interpret the results and take manual action, which doesn’t scale to the needs of IoT.
Jul. 22, 2016 11:00 PM EDT Reads: 1,794


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The Beatles were Steve Jobs’ favorite band. That’s why it was such a big deal for Apple when they got the entire Beatles catalog added to the iTunes Store. After a mess of legal troubles, what seemed would almost never happened finally did. While many were not very excited, we thought it was a great thing to see a band that is notoriously protective of their music and carries so much significance in our join the iTunes Store.
Starting today, the Beatles’ ringtones can be downloaded from the App Store at $1.29 a pop. It’s a bit pricey for a few seconds of music, but we’re sure there will be some major Beatles fans scooping a few of these up.
here’s the announcement from the official Beatles website:
The Beatles’ First Ringtones Released Worldwide Today Exclusively on the iTunes Store
Beginning today, fans around the world can, for the first time, purchase ringtones for the Beatles’ 27 UK and US #1 hits, exclusively on iTunes.
You can even assign your favourite tracks to your favourite people. The ringtones can be downloaded for iPhone, iPad and iTouch.
Enjoy the ringtones on your iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.


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A new survey reveals the latest trends in US accredited investors in the decentralized finance (defi) field. Research shows that the vast majority of them may invest in defi this year.
70% of respondents have already invested in Bitcoin
According to Xangle’s survey, the company surveyed 379 qualified investors, 67% of whom have some knowledge of defi. Overall, such respondents claimed to have had a strong interest in the cryptocurrency industry in the past year.
However, the higher interest surpassed the interviewees, as 72.2% of the interviewees stated that they are “very likely to invest in Defi in the next 12 months.”
The study stated that only 17.5% of the qualified investors surveyed believed that they were “possible to invest.”
In addition, the crypto asset disclosure platform found that respondents are now investing more than before the coronavirus pandemic. According to these figures, 70% of accredited investors surveyed in the United States invested in Bitcoin (BTC).
Xangle has been added:
Investors surveyed regard Bitcoin as a store of value, which can achieve high returns through short-term investment or through purchase and holding.
Despite this, respondents still believe that there is a lack of consumer protection regulations in the encryption industry (including defi). The study shows that 78% of them believe that “regulators need to protect investors more.”
Respondents in the survey believe that the reasons that prevent investors from using encryption technology are lack of regulatory protection, fraud, and a lack of awareness and education across the industry.
Bitcoin is still “the top choice for future returns”
Although the investment in defi has aroused widespread interest, the survey concluded that Bitcoin is still the top choice for “future returns.”
Xangle explained that if a qualified investor has a $100,000 investment but must leave for four years, “31.7% of people would choose Bitcoin, and 29% would choose blue chip stocks as a better investment.”
Lihan Lee, co-founder of Xangle, commented on the survey:
The survey results confirmed our belief that qualified investors were very excited about investing in crypto assets, but they were blocked due to lack of regulatory protection, fraud, and lack of awareness and education across the industry. For the industry as a whole, it is crucial to step up and provide the new wave of investors with everything they need to ensure that they have a positive experience and continue to invest.
Xangle follows the following guidelines to determine who is eligible to be classified as a “qualified investor” for the survey:
Our 379 interviewees are considered qualified investors who are able to trade securities that may not be registered, such as cryptocurrencies. According to SEC Rule 501, their personal minimum income must be US$200,000 (71% of our respondents), or a combined income of US$300,000, which is the minimum income of the remaining 29% of our respondents.
What is your opinion on the investigation? Let us know in the comments section below.
Picture Credits: Shutterstock, Pixabay, Wiki Commons
Disclaimer: This article is for reference only. It is not a direct offer or solicitation of an offer, nor is it a recommendation or endorsement of any product, service or company. Bitcoin.com does not provide investment, tax, legal or accounting advice. The company or the author shall not bear any direct or indirect responsibility for any damage or loss caused or allegedly caused by using or relying on any content, goods or services mentioned in this article or related thereto.


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A money changer counts Nigerian currency notes for a consumer in Nigeria’s business capital, Lagos, Nigeria March 16, 2020. REUTERS/Temilade Adelaja
It may perhaps just take 3 many years for African economies to recover from the slowdown brought by the Covid-19 pandemic, according to the continent’s finance ministers.
Enhancement partners really should take into consideration debt relief in excess of a two to a few-calendar year period for all African nations, the ministers claimed in a assertion pursuing a conference with the United Nations Financial Fee for Africa.
They also want a special goal motor vehicle produced to offer
with all sovereign personal debt obligations, in accordance to the statement.
Past month, the ministers agreed that the continent wants a
stimulus package of $100 billion to confront the financial disaster wrought by the
virus. The package deal amount of money consists of $44 billion in debt-servicing waivers.


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The highly anticipated August Consumer Price Index (CPI) report from the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics is set to be released on Wednesday and economists and strategists are closely watching for signs of inflation trends. With inflation being a key economic indicator and a subject of intense scrutiny in recent months, these expert opinions provide insights into what to expect from the upcoming report.
Morgan Stanley’s Projections
Morgan Stanley economists have estimated that core inflation will likely remain close to the 0.2 percent month-over-month mark, with an expected increase of 0.18 percent for the month of August. This projection is slightly higher than the figures for July and June, which stood at 0.16 percent. However, it falls below the consensus estimate of 0.2 percent. Morgan Stanley believes that higher energy prices will boost the headline Consumer Price Index (CPI) to 0.61 percent. The main driver of disinflation in August, according to the firm, is expected to be core goods, which are likely to experience another negative print.
TD Securities’ Insights
TD Securities predicts that core-price inflation is likely to remain stable in August, printing a third consecutive 0.2 percent month-over-month gain. The influence of goods inflation, along with shelter prices as a wildcard factor, is expected to impact the overall CPI. Additionally, firming gas prices are anticipated to drive non-core inflation higher. TD Securities’ forecasts suggest a 3.6 percent year-over-year increase for total/core prices.
eToro Analyst Farhan Badami’s Perspective
Farhan Badami, a market analyst at eToro, views this data release as significant, with many hoping for a continued slowdown in inflation to potentially prompt the Federal Reserve to reconsider its hawkish stance. He highlights the distinction between headline inflation, which includes household essentials, and core inflation, which excludes food and energy prices. This differentiation is seen as crucial for analysts to detect longer-term economic trends without the influence of volatile food and energy prices.
Wells Fargo’s Projections
Wells Fargo forecasts that core CPI will have gained 0.18 percent in August, leading to a 4.3 percent year-over-year rate. If realized, this would mean that the Federal Reserve could achieve its elusive 2 percent target on a three-month annualized basis. The bank anticipates that commodities and shelter are likely to have played key roles in this deceleration. However, a roughly 10 percent increase in gas prices is expected to boost the headline rate to 0.6 percent, marking the largest monthly jump in headline CPI in over a year. Despite recent progress in core inflation, Wells Fargo believes it’s unlikely that the Fed will meet its 2 percent target on a sustained basis in the coming quarters.
Capital Economics’ Insights
According to Capital Economics, a surge in gasoline prices is expected to result in a renewed jump in headline inflation in August. Gasoline prices are estimated to have risen by a substantial 12 percent month-over-month in seasonally adjusted terms, adding 0.4 percent to the headline CPI. While some reversal of this jump is anticipated in the following month, core prices are expected to continue rising moderately. The firm also suggests that downward pressure on core goods prices will persist, and there may be a further reduction in the pace of monthly rent increases. Capital Economics predicts that while headline prices may surge to 3.7 percent in August, the core rate, helped by favorable base effects, will fall back to 4.3 percent.
Oxford Economics’ Outlook
Oxford Economics expects that Treasury rates will remain elevated in the near term. Steady Federal Reserve policy through the first quarter of 2024 is likely to limit declines in front-end rates. However, the gradual nature of further declines in some inflation categories will sustain modest pressure on yields further out the curve. The long-end of the yield curve is anticipated to lead yields lower later in the year as the economy slows and inflation continues to improve gradually. Market participants are also expected to position themselves for the possibility of the first rate cuts in 2024.
As the release of the August CPI report approaches, financial markets and policymakers will be closely monitoring these predictions to gain insights into the state of inflation and its potential implications for the U.S. economy.


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21 December, 2009
Michael McIntyre set to beat Harry Potter to Christmas No1 spot as Tesco sees "Comedy Christmas"
TV stand-up Michael McIntyre looks set to see off competition from big budget blockbusters including the latest Harry Potter and Transformers films to scoop the coveted number one spot in this Christmas’ DVD chart.
Experts at Tesco Entertainment predict that next week the Comedy and TV DVD chart will outsell the Film chart for the first time ever, fuelled by the runaway success of stand-ups such as McIntyre and Lee Evans, as well as hit TV shows such as Gavin and Stacey.
This comes as sales of classic comedy boxsets grew by an incredible 800% year on year, with Only Fools and Horses, The Vicar of Dibley and Fawlty Towers among the top sellers.
Keith Metcalfe, Tesco DVD Buying Manager said: “Customers are clearly looking to have a laugh this Christmas and in these gloomy economic times who can blame them? For a fraction of the ticket price to a show you can watch your favourite comedians again and again on DVD. We all know you can’t rely on crackers for your Christmas Day laughs so why not settle down with a comedy classic instead?”
Further enquiries: Tesco Press Office. 01992 644 645
Tesco Corporate & Legal Affairs, New Tesco House, Delamare Road, Cheshunt, Herts, EN8 9SL
Telephone: 01992 644645 Fax: 01992 644525
Stay updated with our press releases by registering for our RSS feed or email alerts.
For journalist enquiries only contact the Tesco Media Centre Monday to Friday,
8am to 6:30pm on:
+44(0) 1992 644 645
Out of hours call:
+44(0) 1992 644 733


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Software giant Microsoft has been outlining its Windows 8 goals.
The company wants 400 million devices in customer hands by next July and more than 100,000 applications stocked in the Windows Store by the end of January.
In a Beet.TV interview , Keith Lorizio, Microsoft’s vice president for U.S. sales and marketing, said the success of Windows 8 was guaranteed.
He claimed that there will be 400 million Windows 8 devices out of a potential 1 billion devices in the marketplace. These devices would include both new sales and upgraded Windows 7 machines.
He said that customers will flock to Windows 8 because of its unified look and feel of Windows 8 with its Xbox and Windows Phone 8 platforms that rely on touch and tiles as their navigation preferences.
One of the crucial things that Vole is working on is making sure that there are enough Windows 8 applications on tap.
The plan is to have about 100,000-plus apps over the first three months. Currently there are 3,000.
Apparently it costs Vole a fortune to generate the needed volume of applications.
Microsoft is putting millions of dollars against that effort and working with publishers in order to their apps live as quickly as possible, he said.
It is also vetting all applications before they are put up for sale at the Windows Store.


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Hacked XBOX 360 Firmware, Now For Everyone
All of you hackers can now go wild with your Microsoft XBOX 360. Hackers rejoiced last night when "Commodore4Eva," the hacker who previously released the news of original XBOX 360 DVD firmware hack, has released a downloadable version of the XBOX 360 firmware hack.
The Xtreme firmware is currently only available for the "TS H943" XBOX 360. DailyTech - Hacked XBOX 360 Firmware, Now For Everyone
Back to: PC Security, privacy news


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Saudi cosmetics spend seen at $2.66bn
Riyadh, April 19, 2012
Women in Saudi Arabia could be spending more than SR10 billion ($2.66 billion) on cosmetics annually in a few years from now, a report said.
"The steady rise of beauty sector in the Middle East, with the biggest contribution from Saudi Arabia, really tells the story of how much the consumers of this market have grown," Md. Sohrab Ali, media director of Pixel Arabia, was quoted as saying by Arab News.
Women in Saudi Arabia, among the most beauty conscious in the Middle East region, fuel the sales of beauty and personal care products and also spend a lot at beauty parlours, the report quoted Ali.
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Brentwood, TN (PRWEB) February 19, 2014
DXE Medical, a leading distributor of new and recertified medical equipment, has been officially named to the DOTMed Top 100 List. DOTMed is a global online marketplace for all varieties of medical equipment. The Top 100 List recognizes sellers with the highest ratings from customers. DXE Medical is also a DOTMed Certified company which indicates a standard of excellence as determine by DOTMed.
DOTMed will be releasing the full list of 2014 Top 100 companies in the March issue of HealthCare Business News magazine. This designation allows DXE Medical to utilize the DOTMed 100 Logo in addition to the DOTMed Certified logo.
DXE is very proud to be ranked among the top 100 sellers on DOTMed. Blake Barclay, the DXE Sales Executive who handles the DOTMed account, states, "This designation reflects our commitment to providing the absolute best in new and recertified equipment. We are so grateful DOTMed buyers have recognized the high standard we set."
DXE Medical, Inc. was founded in 1999. It provides new and refurbished defibrillators, AEDs, EKGs, as well as other medical equipment and has grown to serve customers in all 50 states and 40 countries worldwide. For more information, please visit: http://www.dxemed.com/.


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Halal or haram? For Islamic scholars, alt-meat is unfamiliar territory
Cell-grown and 3D-printed meat startups are thriving in Israel—prompting questions over whether a fake steak can adhere to religious law.
ONCE SOLELY THE realm of sad-sounding and lackluster foodstuffs (Tofurky, anyone?), alternative meat products are having a bit of a moment.
New plant-based burgers, 3D-printed steaks, and wheat-gluten “chicken” mean that fake meat has never looked or tasted so close to the real thing.
Israel is one of the countries leading the charge, with more than 50 alt-meat startups trying to transform our obsession with meat. But as Israel moves into a new era with the signing of peace deals with some of its regional neighbors, this raises an important question: is alt-meat halal or haram (forbidden)?
While there may be no straightforward answer just yet, some alt-meat companies are becoming halal certified, or describing their food as suitable for Muslims. Impossible Foods’ burger, for example, is halal certified by the Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America. The company creates a “bloody,” beef-like taste with heme, a protein found in blood, by recreating it with soy leghemoglobin and fermentation. The Impossible Sausage, marketed as “pork made from plants,” is also designed to be eligible for halal certification, says Jessica Appelgren, Impossible’s vice-president of communications.
“That being said, [it] was not designed specifically to target people who have religious objections to eating pork from animals. The mission of Impossible Foods is to make the global food chain sustainable by reducing and then eliminating the need for animal agriculture,” she says. “While cows remain among the most environmentally destructive… pigs have the second largest global environmental footprint.”
But while the Impossible Sausage could technically be classed as halal, that might be crossing the line for some Muslims.
Appelgren says it is up to the individual to decide. “We have no perspective on whether Muslims should or should not eat Impossible Sausage,” she says. “From Impossible Foods’ perspective, Impossible Sausage contains no pig products whatsoever, and for this reason, we are seeking halal and kosher certification.”
“The halal status of alternative meats has not yet been widely discussed among scholars of Islam.”
Eshchar Ben-Shitrit, co-founder of Israel-based Redefine Meat, which uses industrial 3D printing to create plant-based steaks, says its products are considered halal. While the company hasn’t yet sought certification for this, it is considering that for the future.
Arzoo Ahmed, researcher at the Nuffield Council on Bioethics in the UK, says for plant-based meat alternatives to be labeled halal, they must simply contain no alcohol or animal products.
But things get a little bit murkier when it comes to cultured and cell-based alt meat products, which involve growing cell cultures taken from a live animal. Once the cells are gathered, they’re fed with nutrients that allow them to multiply much quicker than conventional meat.
“The halal status of alternative meats has not yet been widely discussed among scholars of Islam,” says Ahmed.
“In order to determine the halal status of cell-based or cultured meat a number of questions will need to be addressed as part of the deliberative process, provided the cells are harvested from animals which are permissible for consumption. The first relates to… whether cultured meat is regarded as meat, or defined as an animal product taken from a live animal.”
In 2018, an article in the Journal of Religion and Health argued that, based on Quran scripture and interpretation by prominent Islamic jurists, cultured meat is halal if the cells used are from a halal-slaughtered animal, and no blood or animal-based serum is used.
Israeli biotech firm Aleph Farms uses the cell-based method to create its signature thin-cut beef steaks. Gary Brenner, the company’s vice-president of market development, says Aleph Farms is taking both halal and kosher certifications “very seriously.” Since the peace deal between Israel and the UAE and Bahrain was signed, Aleph has fielded inquiries about their product’s suitability for consumption by Muslims from the UAE, and “are engaged in serious business discussions” where this subject has come up.
“We consider it very important to have local market stakeholders who know the halal authorization, and will help to guide us through the process,” says Brenner.
A similar discussion is currently being waged about whether alt meats are kosher. Rabbi Joel Kenigsberg told WIRED UK that it’s currently “impossible” for the Jewish community to come to a consensus on this as “production methods have not been fully formulated or disclosed.”
Ahmed, the bioethics researcher, says further requirements for cultured meat may need to be set out for halal status to be granted on a larger scale. This would include considerations around when cells are harvested, and whether they are from a live animal or one killed according to the Islamic ritual slaughter.
“The culture medium or other products used in the process of producing cultured meat will also need to fulfill halal requirements,” she says.
It’s an issue that will doubtless rise up the agenda for alt-meat companies as the market grows. Given the high meat consumption rates in many regional countries—notably Israel and Saudi Arabia—there’s a lot at stake.


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In a news cycle dominated by stories of social unrest in Missouri, brutality in Iraq and Ebola outbreaks in west Africa, you’d think a cute item about hundreds of customers paying for each other’s coffee at their neighborhood Starbucks might bring some momentary peace to even the most cynical of journalistic hearts.
Well, nope. St. Petersburg, Florida, of all places, was the scene of a nearly 400-customer long “pay it forward’’ chain covered by the Tampa Bay Times Wednesday:
The acts of kindness began at 7 a.m. Wednesday with a woman, her iced coffee and a stranger’s caramel macchiato.
The woman paid for her own drink, then asked to pay for the drink of the person behind her in the drive-through. That person returned the favor and paid for the person behind, and so did that person, until the employees at the St. Petersburg Starbucks on Tyrone Boulevard began a tally on green laminated paper near the drive-through window.
By 1:30 p.m., the chain had reached 260 customers.
Employees said the chain eventually ended after the 379th customer seemed confused by the model and declined to pay for another person’s drink. Fair enough.
Undeterred, customers started a second chain some 160 customers deep Thursday, until an area blogger decided that wouldn’t stand, for some reason.
Regardless of whether people in the line knew they were part of a ‘Pay It Forward’ chain, each of those 378 purchases were true acts of kindness.
What is not an act of kindness is what was happening today at the same Starbucks, where customers were being told that they had had their drink paid for and then asked would they like to pay for the drink of the person next in line.
That’s not generosity, that’s guilt.
When a new ‘Pay It Forward’ chain started today, I had to put an end to it.
Schorsch goes on to say that he went to the Starbucks, ordered two drinks — one covered by a previous customer, the second paid for by himself — and, guided by deep moral conviction, declined to purchase the next customer’s order.
Schorsch doesn’t elaborate on why spending $2-4 for someone else’s drink when you’ve been provided a free one is social coercion so onerous it can only be confronted with self-righteous civil disobedience. The blogger notes he gave the baristas a $100 tip “just to prove [he was] not a 100 [percent] grinch,’’ so I guess there’s that.
“Chain broken,’’ he told readers. “Let’s get back to dumping ice water over our heads for a good cause.’’
Well. After burns like this, we’re all going to need a bucket of water.


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Designer “AT-AT” sold at a discount on Black Friday
New constructor 75313 LEGO Star Wars AT-AT (read our special review about this new product), the start of sales of which was timed to coincide with Black Friday, was the protagonist of the latest news. November 26 at 1:00 in the official online store and other outlets of the Danish company around the world opened a sale of the sensational kit.
On this day, the first buyers of the novelty could purchase a set at prices lower than those originally announced by as much as 100 euros. In addition, the manufacturer has provided a Christmas present for those who buy the most expensive building kit. LEGO Group – Each AT-AT customer receives a free souvenir in the form of another original set from the Star Wars series 40483 Luke Skywalker’s Lightsaber.
The excitement around the main novelty of the year continues to be fueled by the fact that it is not known how many sets with a huge AT-AT model have been released by Lego. Also, building fans are subtly reminded of the story that happened with the previous two original sets, namely 10294 LEGO Titanic and 21330 LEGO Home Alone. They were extremely quickly sold out in early November. Will this happen with the constructor 75313 LEGO Star Wars AT-AT we’ll find out soon when the results of “Black Friday” will be summed up.
Fans of the Star Wars series lined up for a new product a day before the start of sales.


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Companies that were part of the National Starch group of companies in Europe, the Middle East and Africa have taken on the Ingredion brand from this month, following the official renaming in the United States in June.
Corn Products International has said the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has given initial approval of its $1.3bn acquisition of National Starch, with the deal expected to be finalized by early October.
National Starch is to be sold to US-based Corn Products International for US$1.3bn, current owner Akzo Nobel has confirmed. The news ends over two years of speculation over the business’ future and propels CPI into the European market.
The corks were flying for National Starch, Chr Hansen, Culinar and Fuji Oil Europe on Tuesday night. But after the hangovers have eased, they can look forward to longer term benefits of winning awards at this year’s FiE.
National Starch has developed a multi-lingual dictionary of texture called the ‘Texicon’, which its sales teams use to ensure manufacturers and food scientists understand the same thing from descriptive terms.
National Starch Food Innovation has extended its Novation range of functional native starches with the launch of two new products that are instant, clean-label and said to stand up to the stresses of intense formulation processes.
The high potential of the Russian market is no longer centered solely on Moscow and St Petersburg, according to National Starch Food Innovation, but prosperity in the regions is opening up broader opportunities.
National Starch is extending its range of Novation functional
native starches to include two new starches from waxy maize that
are suitable for use in products geared towards the certified
Chefs have long had a role to play in the food industry's
development of new products, but ingredients companies are placing
greater emphasis on how their sensory skills can be used to prepare
foods that are more appealing to...
National Starch introduced an extension to its Homecraft range of
functional flours to the European market at FIE this year called
Express 760, aimed at building viscosity and texture in instant and
National Starch Food Innovation has become the latest ingredients
firm to signal a price rise in the face of rising raw material
costs, with starches for food, beverage and pharmaceutical use set
to become more expensive.
The recent price and supply pressures facing users of dairy
ingredients have spurred National Starch Food Innovation to launch
a promotion platform for its new and existing dairy replacement
Cleaner labels, health claims and satiety are amongst the projects
in the pipeline at ingredients giant National Starch Food
Innovation, which will be looking for food firms to partner with in
its quest to bring new products to market.
National Starch Food Innovation has introduced a range of natural,
grain-based ingredients, which it claims maintain the positive
attributes of traditional flours while expanding and improving the
ways they can be used in packaged...
About half of US food producers that specify the use of
non-genetically modified ingredients in their products have little
understanding of the process involved, according to a recent
survey, writes Philippa Nuttall.
ICI subsidiary National Starch is the latest ingredients firm to
drive into the soaring Chinese food market, unveiling a new
technical centre adjacent to its recently opened production plant,
writes Lindsey Partos.
Facing the pressure of squeezed margins ICI-owned starch supplier
National Starch passes price rises onto the market, announcing an 8
to 10 per cent price hike for its tapioca based modified food
starches,reports Lindsey Partos.
ICI subsidiary National Starch, which supplies starches to a wide
range of markets including the construction, packaging and textile
industries, has given an identity boost to its food products
division in a bid to gain an edge in...
With Europe now enforcing some of the strictest rules in the world
on the traceability of genetically modified ingredients, companies
that can offer a tracked identity preservation system are likely to
gain from demand by food makers...
Disappointing figures from flavours company Quest pulled an already
less than dazzling set of third quarter results down further for UK
chemical group ICI hit by a continuing malaise in US and European
sales. National Starch figures...
Our glimpse of imminent product launches at the upcoming Food
ingredients Europe exhibition in Frankfurt this November continues
with UK starch business National Starch launching Advanta-Gel, an
instant structurising starch.
The Russian starch market could be on the road to recovery after
dipping sharply in the 1990s. When at its peak, up to 180,000 tons
of starch were manufactured in the USSR, while today maize and
potato starches combined make up about...


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NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- King Pharmaceuticals KG, -5.26% said the U.S. District Court of New Jersey lifted a 1993 consent decree covering its sterile manufacturing facility in Rochester, Michigan as a result of continued compliance with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's good manufacturing guidelines. King had acquired the facility, which makes pharmaceutical products, from Warner-Lambert in February 1998. King's stock closed Tuesday up 25 cents at $10.85.
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2016 Is On Track To Be The Scion Brand's Best Year Since... Oh Wait A Second
Quick trivia: what’s the fastest-growing auto brand in America?
Jeep? Land Rover? GMC? Ram? Volvo?
Year-over-year, through the first four months of 2016, sales at Scion — Toyota’s 13-year-old youth-directed brand — are up 53 percent. It’s not just recovery after a poor start to 2015. Scion is on track for its best year since 2008.
Well, Scion would be on track for U.S. sales to rise to an eight-year high if, by the end of this year, Scion still existed.
But as you recall, “As part of the brand transition, beginning in August 2016, MY17 Scion vehicles will be rebadged as Toyotas.” In other words, the sales generated by Scion at the end of 2016 won’t be Scion sales at all. The experiment is over. The beakers are going back on the shelf. Lab techs have already hung up their white coats.
Just as the going is getting good. Or at least, sort of good.
The Scion corners of Toyota showrooms are currently riding a wave of iA and iM appreciation.
In March, brand-wide sales rose to a 31-month high of 7,261 units largely because of the two models that weren’t on sale at this stage one year ago. The Mazda2-based Scion iA’s 3,264 sales and the Toyota Corolla-related Scion iM’s 1,659 March sales made up more than two-thirds of the Toyota sub-brand’s U.S. volume two months ago. Overall, Scion’s cars added nearly 3,000 sales to the Toyota portfolio’s total in March 2016 as Toyota brand cars lost 12,000 sales, year-over-year.
Then, in April, Scion’s eighth consecutive month of year-over-year growth, the addition of 4,565 iA and iM sales easily cancelled out the loss of more than 2,200 sales across the rest of Scion’s lineup. (FR-S sales fell by a third. The iQ, tC, xB, and xD — none of which will find a place under the Toyota umbrella — collectively plunged 58 percent.)
Scion was America’s 30th-best-selling auto brand in April 2015. One year later, Scion ranked 26th. It’s clear, then, that Scion’s recent surge has not created a third high-volume brand for Toyota. Lexus’ most popular model, the RX crossover, handily outsells the Scion brand as a whole. In all, 10 Toyota and Lexus nameplates generated more sales between January and April of this year than the Scion brand: Camry, Corolla, RAV4, Tacoma, Highlander, Sienna, Tundra, 4Runner, RX, and Prius.
Nevertheless, with Scion’s best first-third performance since 2008, it seems a strange time for Toyota to drop the brand. Besides the iM and the increasingly popular iA, the C-HR was preparing to be Scion’s entry in the burgeoning subcompact crossover segment, where even mid-pack players produce significantly more U.S. sales volume than the most popular Scion.
Or at least, it seems like strange timing until one considers the strength of the Toyota brand and the relative weakness of the Scion badge.
Yes, the first-third of 2016 represented the best start to a year since 2008, but Scion sales so far this year are 36 percent lower than they were eight years ago and less than half as numerous as they were at Scion’s peak in 2006.
2006. When the tC, on its own, created the same level of appeal as the whole Scion brand does now. 2006. Before the xB bloated; before the Kia Soul became the better answer to the xB’s question. 2006. Before Subaru could jack up an Impreza, label it a Crosstrek, and generate more than 7,000 sales per month, more than the Scion brand.
Toyota has proven that the continuing slate of Scion products can perform decently: as a third Toyota entry in the subcompact market, as a hatchback for Corolla buyers who don’t want a trunk, and even as a niche-market sports car that — at the very least — shows Toyota knows how to undo the top button and loosen its tie on a Friday afternoon.
But Toyota doesn’t need the Scion badge to prove any of that. “Our goal was to make Toyota and our dealers stronger by learning how to better attract and engage young customers,” Jim Lentz, Toyota’s North American CEO, said three months ago. Scion did, in fact, attract a younger clientele. Now, with Scion once again attracting more of those buyers, dealers need to bring them into the Toyota fold. It shouldn’t be too difficult. After all, there aren’t that many of them.
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